This powerful new performance features Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley, the stargaze contemporary music collective, and dancers from the Teaċ Daṁsa company.
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University is thrilled to announce the U.S. premiere of MÁM by the internationally acclaimed Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan. Performances will take place on Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18, each night at 8 p.m.
MÁM is a meeting place between solo and ensemble, modern and traditional, local and universal. Each dancer and musician has added to the creative process of the piece, which also features Keegan-Dolan’s partner Rachel Poirier, dancers from the Teaċ Daṁsa company, and a local young dancer to be selected and announced pre-performance.
“We are honored to showcase the U.S. premiere of this immersive and powerful production at the Quick,” said Peter Van Heerden, executive director of the Quick Center.
“This is truly a gathering you will never forget,” he continued. “Having seen this work in Ireland, there were people who only came for the music and were blown away by the dance. In turn, those who came knowing Michael’s choreography were delighted by the music. This is a moment of communal gathering where for 90 minutes, you feel transported and deeply moved by Keegan-Dolan’s style of storytelling through movement and music.”
The Irish word mám means a mountain pass, a handful, a yoke and an obligation – perhaps to continue or to go a certain way. Keegan-Dolan was inspired by the poetry of the word’s multiple meanings, and by the landscapes of West Kerry, Ireland ,for this production.
MÁM speaks to life’s nuances and contrasts, and how polarities can, on occasion, come together to find resolution. Concertina player Cormac Begley’s music is at the heart of this production, where tenderness, intimacy, passion, and softness inhabit the stage in the form of a powerful group in black and white, constantly searching for each other and breaking free.
MÁM was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Production in 2020 and two U.K. Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2021.
Presented in partnership with the Irish Studies Program, this event is generously sponsored by the Fairfield University Humanities Institute, Silverman Group, the Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation, Culture Ireland, and the Arts Council of Ireland. Tickets are now on sale on quickcenter.com for $35, or $25 for Quick Members. A $50 ticket is available for Friday, November 17 only, which includes a post-performance reception. For more information, contact the Quick Center Box Office at 203-254-4010, Monday through Friday, from 12 to 5 p.m.
